Yarn Store Complaints
I find it to be a cheap shot when someone posts a yarn store customer service complaint on a KnitList.
At Least Three Sides
As with all stories, there are at least three sides to it.
In the case of a complaining customer, it’s the customer’s side, the store’s side and what really happened.
Having worked for a very short period of time at a yarn store (Tomato Factory), I can tell you there are some whacko customers out there. And from the customer’s perspective, I’m sure I wasn’t always the best yarn store employee.
Customer Stories
Here are just a couple of customer stories I witnessed personally:
1. At Stitches one year I was sitting next to a yarn store employee who was knitting and looked up to smile at two customers who had come up to the table. One of the customers said to the store employee, “Did I do something to piss you off?” When her response was (with a smile, still), “No, why?”, the customers walked away grumbling about the nasty help.
If I hadn’t been there to see that one myself I wouldn’t have believed it.
2. A telephone customer (older-sounding woman) used to call the store when I was there, and anytime I’d answer, she’d ask to speak with a woman. If I was the only person in the store, she would have to call back later when someone could help her.
3. A customer came in wearing a sweater that was designed by the store owner. The sweater was a multi-color pattern where the selection of colors was critical to the success of the design. The customer had bastardized the design with some of the ugliest colors and acrylic yarns I had ever seen. When the customer asked the store owner how she liked it, the owner’s response was diplomatic, but truthful. The owner said something like, “Your color selection makes it a very different sweater than mine.” The customer didn’t say so at the moment, but she was highly offended, and complained about the store for years after the incident to anyone who would listen (including e-mails to the KnitList).
Don’t get me wrong, I know there are some nasty, unhelpful store owners/employees out there. I just meant to show that you can’t always believe everything you read or hear about a yarn store.
Current Knitting
I’m almost done with the body ribbing at the bottom of the Morehouse raglan.
I didn’t have time to put up a picture for today’s entry.
Next Project
I admit it…I couldn’t resist, and I cast on for the new blanket.
I did a couple of rows, but haven’t gotten very far. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I LOVE Cashmereno. It’s soft on the ball, and creates an incredibly soft fabric.
I have to say, the pattern is very well written. There’s a stitch that I’m not even sure I’m doing correctly. It says the following:
“yo in reverse (= from back to front)-p 2 tog”
If anyone has a swatch on the needles, I’d like them to try this stitch and tell me it’s an easy stitch to do. And if it isn’t tell me if the following wouldn’t be the same instructions, but a little easier to execute:
“bring yarn to the back of work, P2tog”
Short Post Today
Sorry, today’s post is short. Not much knitting news or pictures.
Also, even though I’m of Irish decent, I don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s day and I won’t until the Irish GLBT group is allowed to march in the New York City parade.
Readers’ Comments/Questions
Kake asks why don’t Thaddeus and I have clothes that belong to both of us, where there is an overlap in our tastes.
It’s not so much our tastes that don’t overlap, it’s the styles that flatter us that don’t overlap very much. We do have some garments that we share, but they are few and far between.